Electric battery



Patented Dec. 6, |898. A. EMANUEL.

ELECTRIC BATTERY (Application led. May 17, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

(No Model.)

lll/lll..

No. -6|5,54|. Patented Dec. 6, |898. P. A. EMANUEL.

ELECTRIC BATTERY.

(Application led May 17, 189B.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

@Hoz/Hego- Ntrnn IHILIP A. EMANUE'L, OF AIKEN, SOUTH CAROLINA.

ELECTRIC BATTERY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 615,541, dated December 6, 1898.

Application tiled May 17, 1898. Serial No. 680,986. (No model.)

To aZfZ whom, it mag/concern:

Beit known that I, PHILIP ALBERT EMAN- UEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Aiken, inthe county of Aiken and State of South Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Batteries; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to improvements in thermo and hydro electric batteries; and the said invention has for its object the direct conversion of fuel into electric energy, and this is accomplished by improving thermo-electric batteries and combining their action with that of hydro-electric currents. Y

In order to accomplish the above-mentioned object, my said invention consists of the novel construction and combinations hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure l represents `a vertical central sectional View of myl improved thermo and hydro-electric battery. Fig. 2 represents a sectional view of the same, taken. along the line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 represents a plan view of one of the elements before it is placed in the battery, and Fig. 4 represents a vertical central setional view of another form of battery constructed according to my invention.

Similar letters referto similar parts throughout the several views.

A A represent two Vessels composed of earthenware, glass, hard rubber, wood, metal, or other suitable material. The vessels A A .are provided at each end with openings A0,

and into these openings it the Stoppers B.

The necks b of the Stoppers pass through the openings A, while the ange b rests in engagement with the packing a inside of the fit into the vessels A and engage the stopperflanges J1'. Passing longitudinally through disks, as shown.

constituting the elements of the piles, may

be stamped out in the shape as shown inl Fig. 3, where d represents strips of the metal left around the periphery of v the disks and used for connecting the elements of the couples together. 'lhe elements or disks are adapted to fit closely into the tubes C, as Wads into'a cartridge-shell, and are placed in position in the tubes and connected together in the following order: At or near the bottom of each tube is located a disk or element E of one polarity. disk of earthenware E, havinga central aperture, which registers with the aperture of the element next to it. Above this earthenware disk is placed another element D of dierent polarity from the element on the opposite side of the earthenware disk. Then the two elements of opposite sides of the arthenware disks constituting a couple are joined at their peripheries by the strips d,which are bent up or down and made to lap over the disks or elements to which they are joined. An earthenware disk is then placed over this couple and asimilar -couple placed over the earthen- Ware disk, and so on throughthe series. The disks or elements of each couple are joined at their peripheries by the strips d, and the couples are joined or connected with each other at or near their centers by the metal strips d, passing through the apertures of thev When the elements have v been thus placed in the porous tubes C and separated from each other by the earthen- Ware disks E', as described, the piles are held securely at each end between the stoppers. The openings through the disks of the piles form a continuous channel or passage F, pa'ssing through each pile and registering with the passages or channels through the stoppers. When the vessels A A are placed one above the other,as shown, the passages of the lower Stoppers of the upper vessel regis- Next above this disk is placed a IOO ter with the passages of the Stoppers of the lower vessel, and in this Way a continuous passage is aior ed through the Stoppers and piles. The piles and tubes C in each of the vessels A A are surrounded by a cooling liquid G, which is preferably Water. several piles maybe electricallyconnected together in a'y convenient Way. Forthis purpose the stoppers are provided with the` conductors .Hy which pass through the body and connect with the ele-` e .thus builds up their electiom'otive force as it of said Stoppers ments, as shawn.

Inclosing the vessels A A and Stoppers B` is a casing K; of metal, Wood,or`,other suit'-` able material. The ends of this casing are provided wit inside circular flanges, which form sockets k. Into these sockets 7c fit' the outer ends of the extreme lupper and lower' Stoppers B, and coinciding with the passages through these Stoppers are! the inlets and outlets la and 7a2, respectively. The inlets karb connected with a steam-chamber L, and th's steam-chamber is in turn connected, throng .a valve `L', with the 4steam-dement a boiler This boiler is provided with a furnacelN of any suitable kind.- j`

yThe valve L' may operate to admit-steam into the battery either intermittently or con-I tinuously, yas maybe desired.

,A spider K is secured to-v the inside 4of the casin g K and engages the sleevesK? surrounding the' recess of the Steppers/which pass into A sis the bottom and top of the upper and lowery vessels A A, respectively. The space betweeu'the ends of these Stoppers within .the saidsleeves may be varied. It maybe increasedfso afs to form an expanding-chamber for the expansion lof steamer it may be dimin- -ished'so that the Stoppers meet.

The couplescomposing the thermopiles may be bismuth-zinc, vcopper-bismuth, iron-antimony, bismuth-nickel, cobalt-iron, bismuthantimony, .bismuth-selenium, or any metal or alloy couples which maybe found convenient for the purpose. l I

'It is Wellknownrgthat themo-electric vcurv rents are produced by an el'ectromotive force arising'from the dierence of temperature in two he erogeneous substances. Thus lif the periph ries ofthe disks forming' the couples, asherein described, be kept cool and their centers'heat'ed a' current will flow from one element of the couple to the other if'they are electrically connected. According to my invention this heating of thecouples is accomplished bypassing steam from the boiler Mv up through the channels or passages F, and therefore in contact with the centers ofthe vdisks Dand E. The peripheries of the disks crease the electromotive force of this current,

The l Were and strengthens their action. is thjc steamv used to heat the thermal series for couples and to strengthen their electromotiveforce, but it also actsto drawr the surrounding cooling liquid against they peripheries of the couples by causing a partial vacuum 'in the channelsor passages through the piles. rEhe steam also acts to carry od anything that might tend to accumulate in the While I have shown and described herein a certain form of battery, many obvious changes may be made therein. Thus while I 'have shown two vessels A A, one placed above "the, other and both containing thermopiles, I may employ only one vessel A and one set of thermopiles, for the number of vessels may -be increased to a larger number' than two; v and, again, While I have shown a plurality of piles contained in each vessel A, I may inclose each pile in a separate vessel, as shown in vFig-45, when A2 represents 'the inclosing vessel; and, indeed, I may make many altera, tions and changes in the above-described in- This positive. electricity, I

FOO

vention without departing from the spirit,

thereof but- NVh'at I do` claim, and desire to ysecure by LettersPatent of the United States, is

y1. A thermo-electric pile, which consist-s of a pluralityof thermo-'electric couples separated from each other by porous diaphragme' and inclos'ed in a porous casing, substantially as described.

2. A thermo-electric pile, which consists ofieg IIO

a plurality of thermo-electric couples with the ,said couples and the elements constituting said couples separated from each other by porousdiaphragms and inclosed in aporous casing, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a vessel containing'a cooling liquid, of aporous'tube carried within said vessel andsnrrounded by said liquid, and a plurality of thermo-electric couples inclosed Within said tube, substantially as described. y

4. The combination with a yessel containv ing a cooling liquid, yof aA plurality of porous tubes carried Within said-vessel and surrounded by said cooling liquid, a plurality -lrzo of thermo-electric couples inclosed Withinw said tubes, and a plurality of porous diaphragms separating the lelements of the couples, and also the couples from each other Within said tubes, substantially as described. I

A thermo-electric pile, consisting of a plurality of thermo-electric couples inclosed in a porous casing, each of the said couples being composed of a pair of metal disks electrically connected at their peripheries with each other-of the same couple, and the several couples being electrically connected together at or near the centerot the said disks, substantially as described.

8. A thermo-electric pile, consisting of a plurality of thermo-electric couples inclosed in a porous casing, the said couples being composed of a pair of metal disks electrically connected together at their peripheries, the several couples being electrically connected together at or near the centers of said disks, and porous diaphragms separating the elements oi each couple and the couples' themselves from each other Within said tubes, substantially as described.

7. In a thermo-electric pile, the combination with a porous casing, of a plurality of thermo-electric couples inclosed in said casing,the said couples having apertures through them which form a longitudinal passage through said pile, means-for separating the elements of the couples and the couples themselves from each other, and means for heatingthesaidcouples` in the vicinity of said passage and for cooling them around their outer portions, substantially as described.

8. ln a thermo-electric pile, the combination with aporous casing, of a plurality of thermo-electric couples inclosed in said cas- .ing,the said couples having apertures through them which form a longitudinal passage through said pile, means for separating the elements of 'the couples and the couples themselves from each other, and means lfor passing steam through the said passage and for cooling the outer portions of said couples, substantially as described.

il. The combination with a vessel containing a cooling liquid, of a porous tube carried Within said vessel and surrounded by said liquid, a plurality of thermo-electric couples inclosed in said porous tube, each of the said couples being composed of a pair of metal disks lelectrically connected at their peripheries with each other of the same couple and the several couples being electrically connected together at or nearthe center of said disks, the said disks being provided with apertures which form a longitudinal passage through said pile, and means for passing steam through said passage, substantially as described.

l0. -The combination with'a vessel containof the same couple and the several couplesbeing electrically connected together at or near the center of said disks, the said disks being provided with apertures which form a longitudinal passage through said pile, and means for passing steam through said passage, substantially as described.

ll. The combination with a vessel having openings at each end, porous tubes carried Within said vessel, Stoppers having a longitudinal passage through them and inserted in the openings at the ends of said vessel and engaging the ends of said tubes, thermo-electric piles carried within said tubes, each of said piles having' a passage passing longitudinally through it and connecting with the passages through said Stoppers, a cooling liquid carried by said vessel and surrounding the said tubes and means for heating said couples along the passage through them, substantially as described. A

12'. v.The combination with 'a vessel having openings at each end, porous tubes carried -Within said vessel, Stoppers having a longitudinal passage through them and inserted in the openings at the ends ot said vessel and engaging the ends of said tubes, each of the said Stoppers being provided with an annular iiange'which engages the inner portion of the said vessel, thermo-electric piles carried within said tubes, each of said piles having apassage passing longitudinally through and 'connecting Withthe passages through said Stoppers, a cooling liquid carried by said vessel and surrounding the said tubes, a source of steam-supply, and means for passing said steam through said passages, substantially as described.

IOO

13. The combination with a vessel, of par- .with the iian ges of said Stoppers held between the partition-plates and ends of the vessels, said stopper' being provided with passages passing longitudinally through them, a plurality` of porous tubes carried within said vessel and closed at each end by said stoppers, a thermo -electric pile ,carried Within each ot' said tubes'having alongitudinal passage through them adapted to connect With the passage through said stoppers, a cooling liquid carried within said Vessel and surrounding said tubes, and means for 'heating said piles along the passage through them, substantially as described.

14. The combination With a vessel, of a plurality of porous tubes mounted therein, a thermo-electric pile carried in each of said tubes, each of said piles having a passage passing longitudinally through it, a cooling liquid carried Within said Vessel and surrounding said tubes, a second vessel located below the aforesaid vessel, a' plurality of tubes mounted in said vessel, athermo-elec- IIO trio pile carried in each tubeeach of the ing the steam through the said passages o'f said piles having a passage passing longitudi v said piles, substantially as described. ro nally through it,- the passages through the In testimony whereof I'aix my signature piles of one vessel connected with the pasin presence of tw'o wionesses.-- I y sages through the piles of the other Vessel, a f PHILIP A. EMANUEL.

, -easing inclosing both Vessels having inlets Witnesses:

and outlets connected with saidpassages, a D. C.. WEEKS, source of steam-supply and means for pass- G. C: MOSEILEY. 

